'I don't care how much the government offers me to put down my XL Bully – it's not happening'

A woman has hit back at the government’s payment offer to put down XL Bully dogs – saying “it’s not happening”.

Yesterday (31 October), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced new laws for the controversial breed, which will come into force.

Among these rules, it will be a criminal offence to own the breed from 1 February 2024, with owners able to claim £200 if they “choose not to keep” their pet – instead taking it to a registered vet to be euthanised.

Jordan Morgan, from Surrey, England, has two XL American bull dogs – three-year-old Eddy and nine-month-old Milo, and says she is “frustrated” by the “backwards” rules.

“I’m so frustrated that the government have not only gone ahead with the ban of the American bully, but have offered £200 in compensation if you choose to euthanise your dog,” Jordan, 26, a fitness and health coach, told http://NeedToKnow.co.uk.

“However if you would like to keep your dog , it will cost [just under] £100 for an exemption.

“It all seems backwards to me.

“Pay to keep your dog, get paid to kill your dog?”

“They [my dogs] are my family and they are innocent.

“It does make me sad to think that there are multiple people out there who will be choosing this option [to euthanise].

“Purely because they feel they don’t have a choice or can’t face the stress of keeping a breed that is now banned.

“Or they will be dumping their dogs where they will then be sent to a rescue, and will have no choice but to be euthanised [or exempted] because it will now be illegal to re-home a banned breed.”

In a bid to keep her pups, Jordan has already been training her dogs to wear a muzzle and says that, so far, they are doing great.

She said: “We took them to the beach the other day and it makes me so sad to think that they won’t have the freedom to run around like that anymore.

“My dogs are the most loving, funny, soppy dogs in the world.

“They are my best friends.

“They love everyone they meet and everyone that meets them falls in love with them.

“They are our family.”

Jordan says she takes having a larger breed seriously – and has done from day one, training and socialising them to be the best dogs they can be.

She added: “Having a larger breed is a big responsibility and it’s a shame that other owners have not done the same.

“Irresponsible dog owners are the reason for this ban and they will also be the ones who won’t be following the new rules.

“Banning breeds has been proven not to work yet licensing models have been proven to work.

“It’s a shame that the government couldn’t even give us a chance to try and make something like that work.”

Jam Press contacted DEFRA for comment and were referred to the statement on the Gov.UK website.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said: ’“We are taking quick and decisive action to protect the public from tragic dog attacks and today I have added the XL Bully type to the list of dogs prohibited under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

“It will soon become a criminal offence to breed, sell, advertise, rehome or abandon an XL Bully type dog, and they must also be kept on a lead and muzzled in public. In due course it will also be illegal to own one of these dogs without an exemption.

“We will continue to work closely with the police, canine and veterinary experts, and animal welfare groups, as we take forward these important measures.”

ENDS